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Twenty specimens of Acentrogobius ocyurus (Jordan and Seale, 1907) were collected in Manko, Okinawa-jima Island, Japan and Sulu Sea side of Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Island, Philippines. As the species had previously been reported from the South China Sea, Andaman Sea, and northern Australian waters, these specimens from Okinawa and Palawan represent the first records of the species from Japan and the Sulu Sea. Acentrogobius ocyurus was found on muddy substrata at the lowest tidal zone of the mudflat and was often found in burrows of mangrove pistol shrimp, Alpheus richardsoni Yaldwyn, 1971. Morphological traits suggested that A. ocyurus is closely related to A. globiceps (Hora, 1923), A. kranjiensis (Herre, 1940), and Acentrogobius sp. (“Suzume-haze” in Japanese name), with several homologous features including, the transverse pattern of the sensory papillae on the cheek, caudal fin pointed in middle, a black stripe behind the eye along the anterior oculoscapular canal, bright blue spots laterally on the body, and an oblique yellow stripe across the upper part of the caudal fin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We document four male colour morphs of the Indo-Pacific goby genus Lentipes in Japan and the Philippines. Despite distinctive colour patterns, males of the different morphs could not be distinguished by meristic or morphometric characters. In contrast, co-occurring females had very similar colouration and could not be sorted into different types. We observed that the four types are not distinguished by mitochondrial genome sequences. On the other hand, genome-wide SNPs analysis clearly separated the four types, suggesting that they indeed represent four independent lineages. We considered that the four lineages could have diverged recently, and therefore, the sorting of mitochondrial haplotypes may not have been completed yet. One of the four lineages is identified as L. armatus Sakai & Nakamura, 1979, and the other three are described in this study as new species: L. kijimuna sp. nov., L. bunagaya sp. nov., and L. palawanirufus sp. nov. We observed that males display their species-specific body colourations during courtship. Pre-zygotic isolation due to female preferences for different male body colours is probably the primary mechanism of reproductive isolation between the four species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite its significant contribution as a cheap source of protein and support to a large fishery industry, the biology and ecology of D. macrosoma (Galunggong) remain poorly understood. This study investigates the spawning characteristics vis a vis fisheries management of D. macrosoma in the waters of Romblon Province. The spawning peak in Romblon Pass is during the Hot (May) and Cold (December-January) Seasons, while during Rainy (October) and Hot (May) Seasons in Tablas Strait. The timing of peak spawning of D. macrosoma around Tablas Island varies with that of the South Sibuyan Sea but generally similar to the breeding traits in Palawan Waters, Manila Bay, and other shortfin scads populations in Asian Waters. Initial findings argue that the variations in spawning characteristics of populations in this study are influenced by the rate of exploitation. Areas in Romblon Pass, Southwest Philippine Sea, and North Sulu Sea -- show no sign of heavy exploitation. The common peak spawning months in MIMAROPA Waters are May and December, while May, October, and December in Romblon Waters. This can be used as the basis for management decisions to regulate the fishing efforts of D. macrosoma in the Fisheries Management Area no. 5. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]